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pawn
1

noun

1A chess piece of the smallest size and value, that moves one square forwards along its file if unobstructed (or two on the first move), or one square diagonallyforwards when making a capture. Each player begins with eight pawns on the second rank, and can promote a pawn to become any other piece (typically a queen) if it reaches the opponent’s end of the board.

Origin

There are two separate words here. The pawn in chess came via Anglo-Norman French poun, from medieval Latin pedo ‘foot soldier’, from Latin pes, ped- ‘foot’ (source of pedal (early 17th century), pedestal (mid 16th century), and pedestrian (mid 18th century)). Figurative use ‘a person used by others for their own purposes’ is recorded from the late 16th century. In the sense ‘to deposit an object as security for money lent’, pawn entered English from French pan ‘pledge, security’ in the 15th century.

Origin

There are two separate words here. The pawn in chess came via Anglo-Norman French poun, from medieval Latin pedo ‘foot soldier’, from Latin pes, ped- ‘foot’ (source of pedal (early 17th century), pedestal (mid 16th century), and pedestrian (mid 18th century)). Figurative use ‘a person used by others for their own purposes’ is recorded from the late 16th century. In the sense ‘to deposit an object as security for money lent’, pawn entered English from French pan ‘pledge, security’ in the 15th century.